Pool Buyers Should Do Homework Safety, Regulations Are Considerations

The kitchen table in Chuck Vones` Dania home, at times, is piled with written estimates, brochures, business cards and lists of government regulations that he has gathered and studied since January.

All because his family wants a swimming pool.

``It`s not like a car that you test drive, or a house where you walk through a model,`` Vones said. ``You pick a pool from a piece of paper, and you`re stuck with it for the rest of the time you`re in that house.``

Vones and his family pass the first test for prospective pool owners: Do your homework.

While complaints against pool builders and repair firms have dipped in recent years, consumer advocates and government regulators say plenty can go wrong when excited homeowners get swimming-pool fever.

But swimming-pool fever can burn, and mistakes can be costly.

``Consumers should look into a variety of pools and take their time,`` said Donna Bennett, chief contractor-certification investigator for Palm Beach County. ``When a company says it builds 30-day pools, be careful.``

Experts say many people who consider building a pool, or buying a home with a pool, overlook a series of hidden costs -- a potentially big jump in electric bills, homeowners insurance and ongoing cleaning and maintenance.

Among the most commonly skipped issues is the most important one: safety. People who want or have pools see them as sources of fun, relaxation and status.

Pools can be deadly, too.

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children in Florida younger than 5 years old. Between 1989 and 1991 in Palm Beach County, 167 people drowned. Between 1989 and July 1991, 114 people drowned in Broward County.

``The typical family`s reaction is, `Let`s get a pool,` `` said David Duda, a Cooper City resident and safety consultant working with the American Red Cross in Washington D.C. ``It`s a status thing. They get a pool, and a lot of times it sits.

To do it right, a homeowner with a pool can spend well over $1,000 on barriers, alarms, locks and pool covers to help keep children away from pools.

Donna Flynn, an officer with National Pool Service in West Palm Beach, said consumers can keep maintenance costs down by taking classes on keeping their pool clean and checking water quality regularly, especially during the summer.

Flynn said consumers should only hire insured and licensed pool builders and maintenance companies. People should ask if company officials belong to professional organizations, such as the National Spa & Pool Institute.

``That`s important even with cleaning,`` Flynn said. ``Anything can happen. If they`re unlicensed, and they slip on your pool deck, they`ll sue. Why not take a little time off and make some money?``

Pool contractors and regulators say complaints against pool builders and repair companies in Palm Beach and Broward counties started dropping about three years ago, when the economy slipped.

Only the stronger, better companies survived. And they started taking smaller jobs to get by.

Bennett, of Palm Beach County, said the biggest problem in the local pool industry is with unlicensed pool cleaners, who often do not offer written contracts.

Vones, the Dania homeowner, chose Pool Builders of Davie to build his backyard pool. Before he picked his company, Vones:

-- Got six written estimates.

-- Looked through pages of sketches and photographs from sales agents, some of whom offered videos as well.

-- Visited homes where some of the companies he liked best had built pools.

-- Called state and county consumer advocates for complaint histories.

Vones` pool will be free-formed, not square or rectangular, with a 1,000- square-foot deck. He will pay Pool Builders $21,000, including a 10 percent down payment, which he has already made.

Vones, who works for the city of Hialeah, applied for government permits needed to build the pool, to save his company a little time. Three months after deciding to build a pool, the permit process is not complete.

``People should realize it`s a long process,`` said Vones.

POOL DANGER

Swimming pools can be as dangerous as they are fun. Some statistics:

-- Seventy-five percent of all drownings involve children between 1 and 3 years old. Almost two-thirds of the victims are boys.

-- Ninety-eight percent of all drownings occur in swimming pools. Two percent occur in bathtubs, canals or lakes.

-- Seventy-seven percent of all child victims were said to be missing for five minutes or less before they drowned.

-- Forty-six percent of the children who drown are last seen inside the house, not in the pool area.